Left behind
by Meero94
Summary: When Oliver Queen comes back to Starling city after almost 6 years of absence, he decides to find his old IT girl again. He expects her to be angry for how they parted but what he doesn't expect is to find her with a 5 year old daughter who may or may not have his exact eye color. Felicity will protect her daughter at any cost, even if she had to break her own heart in the process.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This fic started as a one-shot in my collection of Olicity chapters but due to the huge demand both here and on tumblr, and to the amazing response it got, I'm posting this as its own fic! This first chapter is the one I published before (with slight adjustments) and starting next chapter it'll be all new. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks sooo much to everyone who already read it and commented on it before :) **

**I own a lot of things (not really tho) but Arrow isn't one of them.**

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It happened so long ago that sometimes she could completely forget about it. Or at least pretend to. It was hard however, even for someone as stubborn as her, to ignore the reminder that was a daily part of her life. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even pretend to regret the outcome of the decision that brought her here.

She stares at her TV screen and sighs heavily for the third time since the news started. She tries to avert her eyes from the picture flashing across the screen but the piercing blue eyes are still there when she turns her head away from the TV. They're her daughter's eyes.

"_Oliver Queen, the multi-billionaire, and former CEO of Queen Consolidated is back to Starling city after spending 6 years away…."_

"Five years and ten months." corrects Felicity under her breath but the news reporter carries on undisturbed. "Finish your peas." She ignores the TV and points to her daughter's plate then proceeds to spear her own vegetables with a vengeance.

"But mommyyyyyy they don't taste yummy" whines the little girl, making her mother sigh in exasperation. Any other day, Felicity would have sweet talked her daughter into finishing her dinner, but with the title still flashing through Felicity's head, she just points at the plate again with raised eyebrows.

"No peas, no walking the dog." She allows a triumphant grin as the 5 year old slightly pouts then begrudgingly takes a bite.

Her grin is soon wiped clean as the story of how the Queen family –or at least the one remaining member of it- had left the city all these years ago is once again narrated on the news. She aims the controller at her screen and presses mute. She knows the story first hand.

Looking back, it never crossed Felicity's mind even once that Oliver could leave Starling city. Not even that one time he disappeared for five months tipped her off. She always thought that as The Hood, he'd want to stay around for as long as possible, and that even after that he'd still stay to help Roy take his place. That wasn't how things happened.

Three years after the Glades' incident Oliver had lost the only family member he truly had left. His sister. Thea Queen was kidnapped and killed due to her involvement with two of Starling's most wanted, she was The Hood's sister and Roy's girlfriend and she paid her life when the wrong people found out. At the time Thea was killed, Oliver and Felicity were starting to get closer than ever and she had been waiting for something real to finally happen. But when it finally happened, it was for all the wrong reasons.

Oliver showed up at her doorstep the night of Thea's service. His clothes were battered and covered with her assassins' blood, his eyes so dead and sunk into his skull that she had to ignore her own tears in order to wipe his. She had realized that night, as he sat stoically on her tiny couch, that the loss of Thea may be the final straw. She expected him to be angry and wild and hateful, and she was prepared to deal with it all.

What she wasn't prepared to deal with, however, was for Oliver to grab her wrist desperatally and look at her with pleading haunted eyes. "_Please." _His whisper came out ragged and broken. "_I need… I.. can't…" _he took a shuddering breath and Felicity's heart had never beaten faster. "_Please, Felicity." _

Of all the time she knew Oliver, Felicity had never known him to use that word except for that one time and as she looked down at the mess of a man holding on to her wrist, she couldn't do anything but nod once. He was devastated and broken and she couldn't deny him the one thing he wanted. Not when it could have pulled him off of the edge because, at the time, she could tell that he was teetering there.

So she did it.

She grabbed his hand tightly and led him to her bedroom without a word and what she always imagined to be a beautiful special first time, turned into a wrong and desperate act of grief. When they were done he had wept silently for hours then finally fell asleep against her shoulder but the next day he wasn't there when she woke up. And three days later, every TV channel had the same story running. Oliver Queen was gone.

She swipes at her eyes with a mad gesture as she feels them blurring at the memory. She knew for a fact, even as she agreed to it, that she'd later regret that night. She knew that he'd never look at her the same again and that he may kick her off of the team when he came back to his senses. She knew and she did it, because even in her worst case scenario, he was gone for a few months only. And in her most hopeful moment, she had even dreamt of getting him to come back and stay.

"Mommy," the tiny voice coming from behind, accompanied with a tug of her dress, pulls her from her thoughts. "Mommy can I walk puppy tomorrow?" her Rs still sounded like Ws, so the last word was pronounced _Tomowwow_.

"You know his name is Sebastian, not puppy" Felicity crouches down to level herself with the little girl and tucks a loose blonde curl behind her ear. "and Mrs. Avery will be walking him around the curb but I'll be a bit busy here, so you'll walk alone with her for a while" sighing, she takes off her apron then scoops the girl up into her arms to head to her bedroom "you have to promise to stay with her and not let go of her hand, and no talking to strangers even if they look nice." She says the last sentence as she lowers Clara into her bed.

"Clara listens to mommy," the little one stated with sleepy eyes and an earnest nod "Clara stays close to doggie."

"Not to doggie, baby girl," Felicity brushes a kiss against her daughter's forehead then smiles. "you stay close to Mrs. Avery." Her instructions are as good as wasted on her daughter's already-sleeping form. She smiles wider then leaves the room. The moment she leaves, thoughts of her daughter's father invade her mind one again. He doesn't even know that his daughter exists and she'd like to keep it that way. Clara Smoak didn't need her father anymore than Felicity needed her Oliver, was Felicity's decision. As she went to bed, she almost believed her own lie. Almost.

The next day Felicity sent her daughter off with their friendly neighbor, then wandered to the window every now and then as her fingers flew over her various tablets. She tried to keep a watch on the tiny dirty blonde head skipping down the street, but even as she did so, she somehow missed the man wandering aimlessly around their neighborhood.

Oliver has no idea how he ended up here or why. Okay, so maybe he does know why, but he still doesn't know when he decided to show up to this address or how he did it. One second he was debating whether or not he should try and find his old IT girl and the next her neighborhood's name was flashing on his screen and the decision was made. He didn't have a specific address or house number, so he just decided to walk down the street a few times then leave. He didn't even really want to see Felicity. He just wanted to be near her in a way.

He knew, deep down, that he had hurt her far too greatly in the past to be forgiven. Her feelings for him were written on her face every day for years for him to see, and that night he had used those feelings then threw them in her face mercilessly. He had used _her. _It was one thing to use someone who didn't matter, a stranger, for that sort of thing and a completely different story when you used someone you were –are- actually in love with. Needless to say he had done the latter and profoundly screwed things up, and then to top it off, he ran away from her.

Or to be more accurate, he had run away from the city. From the memories. And most of all from his sister's ghost.

Thea's memory still haunted him even now. He saw her in every corner and in ever y face. Six years later and he still blames himself for her death. He reckons that losing Felicity as well as Thea, was a small punishment.

He walks with his head bowed down and is completely lost in thought until a sound calls his attention. Looking up, he spots a little girl chasing a dog down the street while an elderly woman shouts after the both of them. The girl, who couldn't be older than 4 or 5, is unstoppable as she races towards him and her giggles send shots of warmth to his heart. He watches for a second longer as she calls "Com'ere puppyyyy" and his lips twitch up. His thoughts are brought back to Felicity a moment later, and just as he turns around to walk back the way he came from, he spots a speeding car coming their way. The child's way. Somehow, in a heartbeat, Oliver has a scene playing in his mind. The little girl running across the street. The car too fast to stop in time.

In horror, he watches as the scene plays out in reality only seconds later.

The dog barks at the girl then runs to the other side of the street, and the little girl follows in glee with smiling eyes. The car's wheels screech but it's too late, the girl is too close.

In a show of speed he thought he lost, Oliver races the few feet to the girl, then scoops her up into his arms and jumps out of the way just as the car comes to a halt right where they stood a few seconds ago. The old woman is having a melt down on the sidewalk and the dog is panting by their side and looking slightly guilty but Oliver only cares about the girl.

"Are you alright?" he asks with an exhale, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

"Yes," the girl's blue eyes –he could swear they looked familiar- are wide in fear and she chews on her lip nervously. "Mommy said look at the street when you cross but I didn't" her speech sounds funny and it makes Oliver's tense shoulders relax and he smiles despite himself. "don't tell mommy I went after puppy 'cause she told me not to."

"You should really start listening to your mommy then," instructed Oliver, who's holding her in his arms, with a tap to her nose. "What's your name, little one?"

"Clara" _Clawa, _she said. His grin widened.

"That's a pretty name." He nodded approvingly. "I'm Oliver, by the way. So, tell me Clara, are your daddy or mommy here? Can we take you to them?"

"I don't have a daddy. Mommy said he's gone to fight dragons and bad people and he got lost," she nodded solemnly and his heart dropped. Who could ever be so heartless as to leave such an angel behind. "she said he'll come back when all dragons are gone but they're not yet"

"You know what? I don't have a daddy either," he whispered as if they were sharing a secret "so until your daddy comes back, you and I can be friends and wait for him." He didn't really plan on staying long but at that moment he'd have said anything to make the kid smile. For some reason, he had warmed up to her too fast. Something about her sweet smile and misspelled name tugged at his heart strings.

"Like a club?" she beamed.

"Like a club." He confirmed, loosening his arms to shake on it, but just as he went to add more, a voice he recognized too well, came from behind him.

"_Clara!" _ The voice screamed and sent him into shock. Every last muscle of his body froze. "Clara baby are you okay?" The woman's voice came closer as she crossed the street, and just as he thought his heart couldn't drop any harder, the little girl slipped from his arms and ran towards the voice, screaming the last word he wanted to hear.

"_Mommyyyyy"_

His back went rigid but he recovered quickly and whipped around just in time to catch sight of Felicity –_his Felicity- _catching the girl in her arms and giving her a look half stern and half fond. One only a mother could muster.

"Thank yo-" Felicity's words trailed off as she finally saw the face of the man who had her daughter in his arms a second ago. Her face clouded in a way he never thought possible and her arms tightened around the kid protectively. She sent him a stoic nod then started backing away.

"Mrs. Avery," she gave a brief nod to the elderly woman across the street. "told me what happened. Thank you." She swallowed thickly then turned to leave.

"Felicity-"

Her shoulders grew tense and she paused for a heartbeat. Clara looked curiously between her mom and the strange man.

"Don't" Her voice was colder than he ever heard it. Her word carried over the air harshly and slapped him in the face. But as Felicity walked away it wasn't the word that had him flinching; it was the fact that he finally recognized the little girl's eyes –as his own.

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**A/N: Angst is good and this story is about to go into some more angst next chapter. Which I already have prepared and will post pretty soon, once I edit it to my liking. This story will be at least 3 chapters and at most 5 but no more than that. **

**I really hope you liked this chapter and I'd love to hear what you think Oliver's reaction would be in the next one, or would Felicity forgive him? Tell me your thoughts.**

**Thank you for reading! **

**Review? No, really, review. **


	2. Angry friends

**Hello! A new chapter as promised (you guys better appreciate this because I'm sacrificing sleep to publish it.. don't even ask). Thank you so much to everyone now following this story and to everyone who reviewed, you're all awesome. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.**

**To the anon guest: By first time, I meant theirs. Despite being dorky, Felicity is a smart beautiful woman and I highly doubt she's a virgin. **

**I don't own Olicity anymore than I own Arrow.**

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Felicity couldn't keep her tears at pay. Right after getting her daughter home and checking her for any damage, she had placed the kid in her room with various toys, then locked herself in the bathroom and started crying. She hated how weak she felt as the tears made hot tracks down her cheeks. She hated the back flip her traitorous stomach did when she saw _him_. And most of all, she hated the picture imprinted in her mind of him holding their daughter. She hated him for giving her biggest fantasy a real life image.

It took her half an hour to collect herself together –something she was deeply ashamed of- and wipe her tears and fix her makeup. She refused to let her daughter see her like this, and she refused to give Oliver Queen that type of power over her. With a heavy sigh, she opened the door and headed to Clara's room.

The little girl sat sprawled on her bed with coloring pencils and several blank pages splayed around her. She looked up as her mother approached then gave Felicity a smile that resembled her own. Her eyes however remained her father's and Felicity hated how hard it was to look into them.

"Hey, sweetie" She moved various objects to make room at the edge of the bed. "what are you drawing?" Felicity eyed the yellow scrawls on the paper trying, and failing, to guess what they meant.

"It's a giraffe" stated Clara proudly.

"Hmm, I see." She really didn't. "So, can Mr. Giraffe wait a bit? I need to talk to you." The little girl let go of her pencils and raised a hand to push back her dirty blonde hair –another Oliver feature- then sat up and cocked her head to the side.

Sometimes it was eerie to see how much her movements resembled Oliver's.

"The man you saw today," Started Felicity carefully. Hating, but having, to do this. "what did you say to him?"

"He's Oliver and he's nice," Clara answered thoughtfully. "he said we can be a club and he has no daddy too. Will he come again?"

"You told him about your daddy?" Felicity's fest had gone numb from where she clutched the comforter too hard. "Did he ask you?" her heart fell as Clara nodded yes. He couldn't possibly know.

Felicity left the room with her cell already dialing the one person she knew could help.

"Diggle," she started once his voice mail picked up. "I think we have a problem. Call me." She hung up with a long exhale.

"Will he come again, mommy?" Clara stood now by her bedroom door with a new paper clutched to her chest. She stared intently at her mom and going by the repeated question, Oliver had already won her over. Brilliant. Just what Felicity needed.

"No, sweetie, he won't be able to," Felicity tried to keep her voice gentle and even. She couldn't allow any tears. "He's an old acquaintance, he just wanted to say hello but now he has to go back to his city."

"What does that mean?"

"A _friend,_" Felicity sighed heavily. "He's an old friend, and he won't be coming back."

Oliver felt like a caged animal. His mind whirled with thoughts and his legs carried him only a short distance before he turned around and paced back. He couldn't get a grasp on his thoughts for a solid ten minutes after leaving Felicity's neighborhood, and now that he was back in the mansion he couldn't so much as stand still.

He has questioned his own eyes at least a dozen times so far. _The kid looked too small. Her eyes are the wrong shade of blue. Her age is too young. _

Except that she was in fact a five year old, born 8 months and 2 weeks after Oliver had left Starling city. She was registered as a Smoak and the Father field was left empty. He had done his research along with the math. It all added up. Her eyes were also a replica of his. He still couldn't bring himself to believe it.

He glares at the wall clock once more as he sighs.

A part of him wanted to be completely wrong about the girl, as he couldn't ever forgive himself if he's the reason she's fatherless. Another part allowed the slightest sliver of hope that maybe the kid is his and maybe, just maybe, he still had a chance to fix things and have a family once again. But the biggest part of himself, and the one he's most ashamed of, wanted to turn around and walk away. Never look back. And pretend that he never saw Felicity and that he never met her kid.

He silenced that part each time it raised its ugly head and reasoned that if this is true then he has a responsibility to her. To Clara. And to her mother.

Every thought of Felicity sent a bolt of longing through his heart and another one of shame to follow. He steered his thoughts away from her as best as he could. "_Don't." _ he never knew how much power a single word can hold.

There was a knock on the door then the sound of it opening and closing. Oliver didn't need to look up to know it's Diggle. He had dialed his old friend right after seeing Felicity. It's been now close to an hour. He needed an explanation and he knew that Digg could give him one. The fact that he might not want to, was a completely different matter.

Diggle approaches with a faint smile and raised eyebrows, but Oliver knows him well enough to recognize the guarded look in his eyes.

"It's been a while, Queen." For them it's been only 3 months but Oliver goes along with it and smiles.

"Is that a gray hair I'm spotting?" He asks in return, causing Digg to grin as they shook hands. Oliver had kept contact with Diggle over the years and the last time they saw each other was at Gotham, when Diggle went to there for a week on a call from a former employer.

"So, I hear you've been making social calls today." Diggle said carefully. No small talk then. Good. "That why you called me?" Oliver nodded and something in Diggle's face hardened.

"I ran into Felicity. Well, technically I ran into her daughter." Oliver watched for reactions but Diggle wasn't giving anything away. His expression was completely shuttered. "you never mentioned she had one."

"You never asked." The other man answered flatly, and of course Oliver had never asked. How could he. What right did he have to ask about Felicity Smoak. She was and always has been too good for him. Each time he met Digg over the past six years, he had had to put extra effort into holding his tongue about her. He thought he didn't deserve to ask back then anymore than he does now. But in a way, Clara changed everything.

"I'm asking now." Oliver's tone was layered with a command. "Who's the child's father?"

"What is it to you?" Diggle shot back then flexed his jaw. "He's no one, Felicity had a passing thing with him and he didn't want the baby but she couldn't give her up." He was lying.

"Ever told you that you flex your jaw a lot when you're telling a lie?" Diggle flinshed. "She was born nine months after I left." _8 months and 2 weeks, _he corrected mentally. "that's too big a coincidence."

Felicity had obviously told Diggle what happened between the two of them at some point because when Oliver saw Digg a year after leaving Starling city, the first thing the man did was to punch Oliver and tell him what an asshole he was. Oliver had taken it all silently.

"Just leave it alone, Oliver." Diggle shook his head in warning. "just let them both be. Stop asking questions or you'll ruin the bubble Felicity built for her daughter. They've both been through enough –" Diggle's voice was getting louder, his eyes flared with years of unspoken words and buried anger. "You have no right to come and do this now. Not when –" Diggle stopped himself with a long exhale. He rubbed his hands over his face then stood up abruptly. "Just forget it. _Them_. Forget you ever came back or saw anything. Finish what you came here for and walk away, don't set her back when she's just starting to move on." With that said, Diggle stood up and headed to the door as Oliver sat in stunned silence.

His silence was filled with the echoes of Diggle's words. They stabbed at him like knives.

_3 days later.._

Oliver stood at Felicity's doorstep. Once again he had made the trip to her with no prior decision. It was a matter of getting her home address and then he was off before he had time to consider it. He couldn't wait anymore; he had to see her again. He had to talk to her and know for sure the answer to a question that's been gnawing on him for the past three days.

He braced himself and took a deep breath then knocked the door. He could hear rustling inside and footsteps too quick to be Felicity's then a chair being pulled up to the door.

_Must be the little one. _He thought.

"Clara?" spoke Oliver hesitantly. "Do you remember me? I'm Oliver. We have a club." No answer. "Is your mommy there?" he was practically talking to a door. And it could be the wrong one at that.

"Yes she is." Came the kid's faint reply. "She's in the shower." This was said as the door got cracked open. He heard more dragging chairs and then the door was open wider. "I knew you'll be back but mommy said you won't but I knew you will."

Oliver couldn't help the small smile that slipped over his face. "How did you know?" he crouched down to get a better look at the girl. The smile stuck to his face.

"We have a club! You always meet in clubs and you can't leave it's a rule," she nodded once –a gesture too old for her age- then extended a hand to Oliver. "Com'n I drew us club pictures."

"You really shouldn't be inviting someone in without your mom knowing, little one" it didn't matter that he wanted to take her hand and go inside more than anything. He still had to teach her what's right.

"Mommy said you're a friend and she says uncle Digg is a friend and he comes in so you can too."

He didn't know which point to dwell over first; the fact that Felicity had called him a friend or the fact that a 5 year old could apply logic then hold it as an argument. She was Felicity's daughter alright.

"I'm not sure this is the best idea," muttered Oliver as Clara led him by the hand to the sitting room. She sat him on the couch then went off like a bullet to get her drawings. He felt slightly nervous.

A minute later, Clara showed up with several pages of incomprehensible drawings and started explaining each one to Oliver.

"This is a red dragon like the one daddy fights." His heart fell. "and this is a giraffe, see?" It looked more like a ball with feet. "and this –"

"What the hell are you doing here?" that, was not Clara. Oliver closed his eyes for a second then looked up at the woman standing a few feet away. He was too engrossed with Clara to notice her mom coming in.

"Mommy you said a no-no" commented Clara with wide eyes and Felicity, who had looked pissed off before, gave her daughter a sheepish look then schooled her features into a frown. "Clara Smoak what did I say about opening the door to _strangers_?" Oliver flinched at the word. "Go to your room, young lady. We'll discuss this later."

"We have a club." Murmured Clara as she took her papers and left the room. Oliver gave her a small smile.

He looked closely at Felicity for the first time since she walked in. She was dressed in yoga pants and a grey T-shirt. Her wet hair curled against her shoulders messily and her face looked slightly flushed. She's never looked more gorgeous.

"What are you doing in my house with my child?" she crossed her arms. "I can hand your ass to the cops for this, so you better give me a good reason not to."

He was getting tired of this game and he had to ask her what he came here for. He had to know the truth.

Still, he couldn't risk the kid hearing anything. Whatever problems he had with Felicity should be kept away from Clara, he decided.

"We need to talk," Oliver stated. "Outside."

"Again what reason do I have to listen to you, when I could just call the police and have you arrested?"

"Clara."

After a long pause, Felicity shook her head then sighed. She headed to the door with heavy steps, as if years of tiredness were finally catching up to her. She took a back glance at him only to see if he's following. Satisfied that he is, she opens the door, nods to the porch then waits for him to stand outside.

"So, go ahead, I'm listening," the door to the house is once again closed and Felicity has her arms crossed and forehead painted with a frown. "Talk."

He doesn't know where to start.

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**I really hope you liked that one. I already have an idea for next chapter and it'll also be up in a few days.**

** Tell me your thoughts and what you think of Diggle and pissed Felicity. Where should Oliver start his questioning? **

**I'm waiting to hear what you think!**

**Thanks for reading, lovelies.**

**Review?!**


	3. Her choice

**Hello everyone! So this chapter has got to be one of the longest I've ever written and I'm hoping that everyone likes where it goes. It's one of those chapters that end up writing their own endings.. I'll let you see for your own. **

**As always, thank you so much for your amazing response and support for this story and every other one I wrote. I have to say that the Olicity fandom has got to be one of the best fandoms out there, so thank you.**

**Enjoy!**

**Do I look like I own a huge network's show to you...**

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In the span of six years, Oliver Queen had had a lot of time to dwell over the words he wanted to say and the ones he never had a chance to. They were usually the same ones.

In all of those years, he had imagined this encounter with Felicity a hundred different ways and in none of them was he speechless. To his utter disappointment, however, words had decided to ditch him. He stood silently, waiting for the words to come.

Felicity, which stood a few feet away, crossed her arms and glared at him. He thought that he'd rather be facing off the Bratva.

It took him a few tries but he eventually settled for the three dominant words in his head.

"I am sorry." He caught her look of surprise. "I know that I'm a few years too late," he recalled Digg's words "and that I don't have the right to ask for forgiveness but.. that doesn't change the fact that I'm sorry, and that you need to hear it more than anything." Felicity's face had flushed and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears but she still stood tall and with her chin jutted out.

"No," she shook her head slowly. "No you really don't have the right to ask for anything, let alone forgiveness," One tear made its way across Felicity's cheek but the woman's voice never wavered. "What did you think that you'll come back to find, Oliver? You thought that I'd still be the blabbering mess of a girl, hanging onto your every word? The idiot who loved you? And worse yet, the one who thought you loved her?" her words had been deadly calm so far but they started gaining momentum. "What the hell did you think you'll find? You're sorry? Well _good!" _ Her voice broke at the last word but she pushed on and kept talking. Oliver felt every word pierce his heart. He knew he deserved it.

"You should be because I cared about you and I was there, Oliver, for years I was there when no one else was, and you… you just walked away. Just turned around and left me with –" she took a shuddering breath and stopped herself. Her nails dug into her palms and a look of anger passed over her face but this time the anger was directed inwards. Oliver could almost hear the internal war she was having.

After a few beats of silence, Felicity looked up at him with tired eyes.

"Well, you just left," she shrugged, her voice gaining back its calmness and her shoulders sagging in defeat. "And that's the point. I never meant anything to you, and you made that clear a long time ago." Oliver winced at the accusation as it hit him. He opened his mouth to protest but she raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't," she said warily then looked around with a frown, causing him to do the same. "Was I shouting?" She murmured softly and it took Oliver a second longer to realize that several neighbors of Felicity's now stood in windows and porches to bear witness to the ordeal. Some of them even seemed to recognize Oliver.

"Should we go somewhere else?" He asked hesitantly. She obviously had an image to uphold in her neighborhood and if this is what it took to get her to say more than three words at a time, then he'd take the shouting –_and_ the pain- anytime, anywhere.

As he spoke she turned around without a word and started for the door which sent him reaching for her arm. A jolt of heat went through him at the first contact with her in years but he ignored it.

"Wait, we still need to talk. You can't walk away. "

"No, that's your job." He physically flinched at her answer, causing his hand to drop.

Felicity looked guiltily at his pained expression then let out a sigh. "I'll just get my daughter and car keys," her tone was softer than before. "And we'll go somewhere. We may as well get this over with."

He didn't know what to make of her last words and the former ones were too painful to dig up while he stood waiting on a porch. He knew that he'd have enough time to twist that rusted knife later, so for now, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to make this right.

Felicity watched as her daughter collected fallen leaves and threw them up in a shower of orange and yellow. She smiled when the kid looked over and waved her on to run and play as she pleases, but the smile slipped whenever Clara turned away. She felt exhausted and drained from her match with Oliver but she still steeled herself for the next round.

Felicity had no idea where he was going with this and wondered if it'd stop at an apology. But then again he would have had no reason to follow her here if he didn't have more to say. She had driven her car to a nearby park and watched as his car followed close behind.

Now they both stood silently watching Clara as she played. Her red dress matched the autumn colors and her joy seemed to momentarily push aside the unspoken words between them. For a moment she could almost pretend that they were normal parents watching their kid as she plays. But she still knew better than to let the pretense survive longer than a few seconds because pretending was dangerously close to hoping and hoping only led to disappointment.

"Why are you back?" her voice was so soft it barely carried over to him. She reckoned that a gust of wind could have blown the words away and he never would have heard them. He didn't answer for a long time and she started to think that maybe he didn't hear her after all. She thought that she should ask again but this time, it'd be one of the questions she really wanted an answer for.

_Are you staying? Why come back now? Did you ever love me? _

"The same reason I left," His voice held a sad quality and his eyes looked into the distance. "I wanted to visit Thea. It's been so long and I've never been at her.. grave." He cleared his throat and Felicity ached to reach out and comfort him. She clenched her hand into a fest. "Not since the service. I thought it was about time." He paused. "The mansion, Verdant, even the companies were all secondary matters. I was supposed to visit her then leave unnoticed." He gave her a guilty glance then carried on. "I didn't even think I'd see you again but with the news, that I was in town leaked, well, I thought I may as well check on you. From afar."

Felicity's heart ached so much at the mention of Thea that she felt weariness creeping over her. She wished she could stop being angry after so long. She wished she could tell him the truth.

"I found your street address," Oliver carried on, oblivious to Felicity's struggle. "I thought I'd just pass by but then –" his face was caught somewhere between a smile and a frown. "I met the little one." He gave her a sidelong glance and Felicity steeled herself for the next part. "She instantly looked familiar."

Felicity merely nodded for him to continue. Her eyes averted to his hands. She wondered when he last held a bow.

"How old is she, Felicity?"

"Diggle said you already knew that," Her tone when she spoke was flat. Her nerves hidden well behind her indifferent glance. "you shouldn't have bothered with research, you know. You could have just asked me."

Oliver had gone rigid beside her and the calmness he showed before was quickly dissolving into disbelief. He shook his head then turned fully towards her.

"I know what you're thinking, Oliver. What you're here to ask." Felicity didn't wait for him to ask. "And the answer is no. Clara is _mine_ alone. She has nothing to do with you. You can let your heroic sense of responsibility rest." Her last words held some bitterness.

"Whose daughter is she then?" She could tell that he was only playing along. It'd take more to convince him.

"Just some guy.. a fling I had," she had told the story so many times that she didn't have to think about it anymore. "it was a one night thing and he didn't want anything to do with us –her- after that." Clara giggled a few feet away and Felicity's heart clinched. She prayed that she was doing the right thing.

"You don't do one night stands."

"Obviously, I do." She gave him a withering glare and he had the grace to look ashamed for a few seconds but he soon recovered and continued pushing.

"If she's mine –"

"She isn't!"

"I want to help; I want to take care of her. I was wrong to leave you like that," He wouldn't look at her but his desperation bled through. "I know that now. Hell, I even knew it back then."

"We don't need your help, Oliver. Clara is my daughter. _Mine_."

"I know what a person hiding a secret looks like, Felicity." He flexed his jaw then turned to look at Clara once more. "And in the past few days, my only two friends told me nothing but lies."

"Friends?" She scoffed but left it at that. "I can get you a DNA test if it'll put your mind to rest." She could easily hack into a laboratory and alter the results.

"You could easily change the results." His lips twitched at her shocked expression.

"I'd never –" she started incredulously but was cut off by Clara running towards them.

"Mommy, mommy," the little girl panted. "there's ice cream right there," she pointed excitedly at a man in a pink van with a huge cone on its top. "can I get one mommy pleeeeeeease?"

"You'll catch a cold," Felicity was aware of Oliver watching the exchange. "it's already getting colder and you shouldn't be having ice cream." She determined.

"But in winter you say it's too cold and now it's only a little cold and it's gooder than eating ice cream then."

"_Better," _Felicity smiled then reached for her bag. Which wasn't there. "Oh. We left in a hurry, baby girl, I didn't get my wallet." Clara pouted. "I'll get you ice cream later, okay?"

"Or we can get her ice cream now," volunteered Oliver. _We. _"since I have mine on me."

"Yes!" danced Clara.

"No!" Felicity gave her daughter a warning look then turned a glare on Oliver. "We can afford our own ice cream, and we'll get some later."

"But I want it now!" Whined Clara with her lips jutted out and her eyes giving their best puppy impression.

"Come on, Felicity." Sighed Oliver. "I'm only getting her an ice cream, not a car." At her hesitant look, Oliver let a smile slip then grabbed Clara's hand. "Felicity Smoak, may I please buy your daughter some ice cream?" His hopeful expression mirrored Clara's perfectly and if he were to look at the young girl just then, he'd have had all the proof he needed of her being his daughter. Felicity ended up giving him a resigned nod.

She stared at their retreating backs for a while then went through the past hour. Her thoughts started carrying her way back and she moved to sit on a bench.

She recalled the night she found out she was pregnant in vivid detail. She remembered the fear and the excitement. The hope and the doubt. And most of all, she remembered trying and failing to contact Oliver. She had made the decision to tell him only a week after finding out. She thought that no matter his actions, he still deserved to know, and his kid surely deserved a father. So, she went to Diggle and told him everything. By the end he was seething and she was crying but they had both agreed to find Oliver regardless, and so they started their search. It lasted an entire year. A year, in which, Felicity learned that Oliver Queen can be a ghost when he desires to be.

When they finally found him, Clara was already a few months old and Felicity had completely changed her mind. Being pregnant and having a baby all on your own tends to put things into perspective. Hers was simple. The man who walked away didn't deserve her daughter.

Convincing Diggle of hiding things from Oliver had proved to be far harder than expected, and Felicity had to resort to every trick in the book to talk him into it. She threatened, begged and sworn to never look at him if he uttered a word, and still he was decided to tell the truth. A few days before the two men met, Felicity went to Digg and told him that she'll take her baby and leave the city if need be. She told him that she'll change their names and create new identities and that she'll truly have no one left then –not even him- and that there'll be no one but him to blame.

When he came back, he told her that he had punched Oliver but never mentioned the baby. Although he made his disapproval clear. In the next few years, Felicity had converted Carly to her side and whenever Digg went to meet Oliver, both women would spew threats and arguments at him until he swore to remain silent.

Felicity now questioned everything she did. Maybe she should have listened to Diggle and let him tell Oliver all those years ago. Maybe she was mistaken.

It wasn't that she had softened towards Oliver or that her anger of years had vanished. It's just that the sight of Clara with any father figure tended to break her mother's heart, and now with Oliver holding the girl's hand and smiling at whatever she said, Felicity felt a physical ache in her chest.

How was she to take this away from her daughter?

Clara may be Felicity's but she's equally Oliver's, and at some point, the dragons and stories won't cut it anymore and the girl would demand to know her father's identity. Felicity had dwelled over those facts many times before but never had she felt as lost and helpless as she did now. She feared that she may break and tell Oliver the truth. She also feared that her resolve would stay and that he'll buy her lie.

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut and rummaged through the various arguments she usually gave Diggle.

_He left us behind. _He left _me_ behind, she had meant. _He wouldn't want her. _He obviously did. _We're better off. _Clara needed a father. _He never came back. _He never knew.

Felicity listed the reasons one afteranother then shot them down with more reasonable arguments. She was a woman of logic and numbers and she could see that her arguments, although true to an extent, were also flawed. All those arguments centered on herself and Oliver, but never on the right person. Never on Clara.

Felicity realized now that she had been selfish by keeping her daughter to herself. Oliver may not be forgiven but he's slightly justified, and whatever problems Felicity had with him, shouldn't result in Clara's misery. She was a better mother than that.

And so, she found herself with a choice to make. The nearing figures only served to highlight that fact. She knew that if she didn't let it out now then she never will. She'll talk herself out of it. She'll pretend that Clara doesn't need her father in her life. She'll let this moment of selflessness fade and reclaim her daughter as hers only.

She stood on shaky legs then resolved to walk steadily. Oliver and Clara were only a few steps away when Felicity waved her daughter away.

"Go play a bit more, sweetie." Felicity said with a false smile. "We'll be leaving soon." With a grin at both adults, Clara flew back to where she played minutes ago. Ice cream in one hand and fallen leaves in another.

"Felicity?" Oliver saw the change in her. He seemed to glimpse the determination in her eyes and steel himself for whatever came next.

"I need you to understand that whatever I tell you now, changes nothing between you and me," she clutched her coat too tightly. "It doesn't change what you did or how I feel about it but this isn't about _me _and it never has been. It just took me this long to figure it out," She was completely on edge. Two parts, equally strong, were screaming at her. One told her to keep silent. The other urged her to speak. "So I'll tell you this.. truth, or whatever, but you have to understand that whatever you decide to do next will have to go through me first, and that I don't care if we argue or if you break my heart again," She winced at the implications that held. Damned mouth. "But so help me, Oliver Queen, if you hurt _your daughter_, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself."

At his stricken expression, Felicity gave a long exhale.

"Yes, you heard me." And then the words she spent years trying to avoid. "She's yours."

* * *

**A/N: The ending of this chapter was rewritten no less than three times. I had so many options with Felicity, and denial of Oliver's rights was the most obvious choice, but it just didn't seem right. Felicity in general is a good person who always thinks of others and tries to help, and it felt like any other action on her part would be selfish to Clara, and so she ended up telling the truth. Basically, despite the internal war I had to go through along with Felicity, I decided at the end that what matters most is Clara. And that Felicity would eventually choose the selfless approach and put her own dignity and heart aside. **

**I hope you liked where the ending went, and if you don't agree then I'd love to hear what you guys think. Your reviews are always appreciated and they honestly make my day, so, tell me what you think.**

**Thanks for reading. Stay awesome!**

**P.S: I haven't forgotten about Roy, you'll hear from him soon.**

**Review?!**


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